wow, conner burns does a great workshop!

updated fri 29 sep 06

curtis adkins on wed 27 sep 06

Hi Everybody,

I just would like to throw a question out to the lot of you. What is everyones spin on single firing of stoneware pots and/or sculptures? I just attended a wonderful demo/lecture of Conner's in Joplin MO and he said he does very well with only one firing per item by using spray on glaze application...b-mix is what he said he uses as his clay body...I guess what I am asking is is there any way to do this without using the spray technique? If so, what is it because the economics of firing only once per work batch is very appealing to me!

Thanks,

Curtis "Monk" Adkins

Tony Ferguson on wed 27 sep 06

Curtis,

I have been single firing ever since I started working with clay in both porcelain and stoneware. Depending on the form (and your form will tell you what you can get away with) you can brush, dip and pour, or spray. You can glaze leather hard or bone dry--in between is usually not a good idea. However you glaze, you don't want to la ti da--get it done and be quick about it. Even with leather hard you can over saturate if you spend too much time dipping/pouring or spraying. Some vessel forms like the inside glaze first, and then the outside. You really just have to experiment to know what you can do. Most glazes will work fine. Those that don't stick, you add something that will stick it to the work such as cmc gum or bentonite usually. Shinos work great because they already generally have a high clay content.

Tony Ferguson

curtis adkins wrote:
Hi Everybody,

I just would like to throw a question out to the lot of you. What is everyones spin on single firing of stoneware pots and/or sculptures? I just attended a wonderful demo/lecture of Conner's in Joplin MO and he said he does very well with only one firing per item by using spray on glaze application...b-mix is what he said he uses as his clay body...I guess what I am asking is is there any way to do this without using the spray technique? If so, what is it because the economics of firing only once per work batch is very appealing to me!

---------------------------------
Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out.

curtis adkins on thu 28 sep 06

Thanks Tony,

That helps too!

Tony Ferguson wrote: Curtis,

I have been single firing ever since I started working with clay in both porcelain and stoneware. Depending on the form (and your form will tell you what you can get away with) you can brush, dip and pour, or spray. You can glaze leather hard or bone dry--in between is usually not a good idea. However you glaze, you don't want to la ti da--get it done and be quick about it. Even with leather hard you can over saturate if you spend too much time dipping/pouring or spraying. Some vessel forms like the inside glaze first, and then the outside. You really just have to experiment to know what you can do. Most glazes will work fine. Those that don't stick, you add something that will stick it to the work such as cmc gum or bentonite usually. Shinos work great because they already generally have a high clay content.

Tony Ferguson

curtis adkins wrote:
Hi Everybody,

I just would like to throw a question out to the lot of you. What is everyones spin on single firing of stoneware pots and/or sculptures? I just attended a wonderful demo/lecture of Conner's in Joplin MO and he said he does very well with only one firing per item by using spray on glaze application...b-mix is what he said he uses as his clay body...I guess what I am asking is is there any way to do this without using the spray technique? If so, what is it because the economics of firing only once per work batch is very appealing to me!